Drew's ES-5V first (ish) build

[nitroburner1000]

So, neck has 6 coats of full strength true oil and is, I think, looking pretty good. There are a pair of dings on the back of the neck, no idea how they got there, and a bit of splitting around the tuner holes but otherwise I think this is shaping up nicely. Very smooth and shiny:



The fretboard though has never recovered from the initial masking-tape balls up:

That's never going to look right, but giving it a matt finish will make it a little less obvious.
The body's had 4 coats but at some point we had a breezy day and the finish has picked up a load of dust particles:

Hopefully the next round of sanding will lift those off easily enough. I was going to put another couple of coats on before hitting the 600 grit but given this I'm thinking I'll do that now.
Finally, replacement knobs and truss rod cover, still a bit to do on these but I think they'll shape up ok in time. Not sure whether to go with a gloss, matt or satin finish.

Decisions decisions...

Just caught up mate, noice job, blonde is always hard as it shows up everything, no stain to hide imperfections. Great job mate

[Simon Barden]

It is looking good. Just note that 6 coats is still a very thin layer. so be very careful when sanding.

[blinddrew]

Thanks folks, for the comments and the advice.

[blinddrew]

It is looking good. Just note that 6 coats is still a very thin layer. so be very careful when sanding.

Interesting* aside. I think I am a bit heavier handed with the oil than most on here. So far I've used an entire 3oz bottle of sealant and about 2/3rd of an 8oz bottle of true oil. That's given me 3 coats of sealant all over, 6 coats of oil on the neck and 4 coats on the body. I'm going to need another bottle...

* strictly within the realms of this forum.

[Simon Barden]

Well, you have got a bigger body to cover.

The guitar's got a lot more surface area as well.

[blinddrew]

Ba dum tsh!

[FrankenWashie]

Well, you have got a bigger body to cover.

The guitar's got a lot more surface area as well.

Nothing wrong with bigger bodies Simon, we can’t all be JS soloists, some of us are more double neck SG, and others more upright double bass; a lucky few are Longhorns. But we are all beautiful in our own way.

[Simon Barden]

I've moved down from a double bass to a cello this year. Will never become a violin but aim to get down to a viola.

[blinddrew]

I'm in danger of heading the wrong way from cello-sized...
Anyway, I decided it might need a scratchplate so I started to knock one up. Will need to do more work on the colouring obviously, but the real challenge is going to be figuring it out how to attach it.

[Simon Barden]

Option A is obviously some 6" nails. Option B is the standard screw for the front corner and a bracket for the rear.